Sara Finney Receives CLA’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award

Sara Finney doesn’t just teach Spanish. She helps students connect language to identity, justice, and the world around them. As the Spanish intermediate coordinator, she oversees a course of over 500 students each year and leads with a simple goal: to create an environment where students can learn from each other in meaningful ways and make learning Spanish a personal, purposeful, and transformative experience. One that recognizes student’s unique needs and pushes them to become global citizens. 

For her visionary approach to teaching, Finney has been awarded CLA’s Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, which acknowledges non-tenure-track faculty who go above and beyond in fomenting a dynamic, inclusive classroom environment and inspiring students. 

Language as a Path to Connection

For Finney, teaching Spanish is about far more than grammar or vocabulary. She aims to help students understand how language shapes—and is shaped by—social systems, identity, and power. That philosophy is behind her efforts in re-designing SPAN 1003 in a way that now centers elements of social justice and self-reflection, encouraging students to become agents of social change. 

Students engage with stories from marginalized communities, reflect on the ways systems of power and inequality impact both Spanish-speaking cultures and their own lives, and connect the materials to their future careers and goals.  

Finney does more than teach. She helps students see language as not just a subject but rather a tool for understanding others—and themselves. 

“Thanks to Sara’s vision, the recognition that the issues studied in class cannot be separated from their own lives makes the study of a foreign language become a space for personal reflection for students,” says Bill Viestenz, chair of the Spanish & Portuguese studies department. “This makes SPAN 1003 much more meaningful and relevant than memorizing vocabulary and verb conjugations.”

Finney’s approach to teaching fosters an environment where students feel safe to take risks and mistakes are met with encouragement rather than judgment. 

“She firmly believes in taking into account the effort and improvement that is shown in each student,” says student Samuel Walton. “She is brilliant with exemplifying the understanding that learning any given subject is not a straight arrow; rather, it’s better cognized as a circuitous route that varies from person to person.”

Other students echo this sentiment.

“Her class quickly became a safe environment for me to volunteer answers, speak freely in small groups, and continue learning Spanish without feeling judged for making mistakes,” says student Rachel Bergh.

“She gave great, long feedback on our assignments and made an effort to get to know us individually,” says student Amina Hasan. “We all appreciated her efforts and felt very comfortable approaching her with our questions.”

“I’m fortunate to say that I, along with many other students, have thrived within Professor Finney’s classroom atmosphere and educational virtuosity,” says Walton.

Beyond the Classroom

What truly sets Finney apart, according to her students and colleagues, is her deep sense of care which goes beyond the classroom.

“Sara is an exceptional teacher, whose dedication to her students is outstanding, both inside the classroom and outside it,” says Viestenz. 

Finney’s commitment extends farther than to her courses or office hours. Students describe her as someone who shows up—not just as an educator, but as a mentor, listener, and steady presence.

“She encouraged us daily in our Spanish studies and was always willing to answer questions and provide additional help,” says Bergh. 

“No professor has ever given me the amount of time she has,” says Hasan, recalling a time Finney gently talked her out of dropping her Spanish major after a difficult semester. “She made her office more like a home to me. No matter how busy she was, she would never hesitate to meet up with me and listen to me.”

Whether it’s encouraging a student through an academic crisis, discussing subjects outside the curriculum, or simply listening without judgment, Finney consistently meets students with both patience and empathy. 

“I know that if I ever need any support, be it emotional or academic, or advice, I will go to Prof. Finney’s office without any hesitation,” says Hasan.